Well before the quay, Oran makes itself known by its mountain. Djebel Murdjadjo towers over the harbour, crowned by the Santa Cruz fort and its white chapel, Spanish and French sentinels that every ship sees on approach. Algeria's second-largest city tiers down below, Mediterranean right down to its contradictions: Spanish in its stones, Ottoman in its mosques, French in its boulevards and Algerian in the music drifting from its cafés. The centre begins less than two kilometres from the berths.

Santa Cruz, the city's lookout

The classic excursion first climbs to the summit. The fortress, built by the Spanish in the 16th century, locked down a position they held for nearly three centuries, until the earthquake of 1790. Its ramparts offer the widest panorama on the Oran coast: the harbour, the ochre rooftops and the salt flats in the distance. Just below, the neighbouring chapel was built by residents after the cholera epidemic of 1849, and its Virgin still watches over the bay. The winding road is covered by taxi or excursion motorcoach; seasoned walkers head back down on foot to the upper neighbourhoods.

The theatre and the bronze lions

At the bottom of the city, Place du 1er-Novembre, the former Place d'Armes, brings together the monuments of the French era: the city hall guarded by two bronze lions, and the regional theatre opened in 1907, whose sculpted façade and Italian-style hall bear witness to the cultural ambitions of the port city. Architecture lovers will also spot the railway station, completed in the early 20th century, whose façade evokes a mosque and whose clock tower a minaret. The nearby terraces serve strong coffee at all hours. From there, the shopping streets lead down to the waterfront and its balcony promenade, from which your gaze always returns to the citadel on its mountain.

Old Sidi El Houari

Toward the old port, the Sidi El Houari district preserves Oran's deepest layers: remains of Spanish barracks, the Pasha's Mosque built at the end of the 18th century to celebrate the departure of the Spanish, worn staircases and patios awaiting restoration. The area is best explored with a local guide, who opens doors and stories that a solitary stroll would never uncover. This is the district of origins, rough and endearing, where the city tells its story without embellishment.

Camus, raï and cafés

Oran holds a singular place in literature and music. Albert Camus set The Plague here, describing its streets "without pigeons, without trees and without gardens"; the city has forgiven him, and readers come to compare the novel with reality. A few decades later, Oran's cabarets invented raï, a song of the working-class districts that became a worldwide phenomenon. Between monuments, the real flavour of the port call often lies at a table: calentica from street vendors, grilled fish from the fishermen's quarter, almond pastries and mint tea.

Tips for your visit

• Allow half a day for Santa Cruz, Place du 1er-Novembre and the waterfront.
• Organized excursions often combine the fort, the chapel and the centre; taxis are negotiated before departure.
• The Algerian dinar can only be obtained locally; bring cash for small expenses.
• Coffee is taken strong, Oran-style; the terraces around the theatre are well suited to it.

You head back down to the ship along boulevards smelling of coffee and sea air, with the sense of having leafed through several centuries in a few hours. Oran does not reveal itself entirely at first meeting, and that is all the better: the ports of call that keep a share of mystery are the ones that bring you back.